In Oshkosh, First Congregational Church proclaims the Good News with ‘Creation Care garden’

Sep 28, 2022

Many hands (and a Kairos grant from the Wisconsin Conference) have come together to create a witness to the work of care for God’s creation in Oshkosh. “Pedestrians walking by our parking lot have expressed appreciation for our gardens, and neighborhood kids stopped by while I was watering last week, and were very interested in the garden,” said Green Team leader Pat Dwyer-Hallquist. “Many plants in the Creation Care garden have bloomed this summer, and the pollinators, a variety of bees and butterflies, have shown up in the garden.”

The Creation Care garden is a collaboration between the congregation’s Green Team and its Building and Ground Ministry group, with plantings, containers, funds, and guidance from a variety of sources, including Wild Ones of the Fox Valley Area, a Kairos grant from the Wisconsin Conference UCC, and individual donations of plants and containers.

Sue Forbes, a mentor with Wild Ones, helped make sure the plants selected would work in the soil conditions in the garden.

The Creation Care garden contains native plants and plants that support pollinators.  The garden will store carbon and reduce runoff into the storm sewer.

The Creation Care garden complements existing plants at FCC Oshkosh – including rose bushes, lilies and trees.

“I have learned a lot about native plants and pollinators, and I am finding out there are other church members with an interest in native plants,” Dwyer-Hallquist said.

To learn more about the project at First Congregational Church of Oshkosh, contact Green Team facilitator  Pat Dwyer-Hallquist.